This article mentions suicide.
Taylor Sheridan has cast several A-list actors in hisYellowstonefranchise, and quite a few have died. Sheridan started the neo-Western Montana-based franchise with his flagshipYellowstoneseries, beginning in 2018, which became a television sensation. With Kevin Costner as John Dutton III at its helm,Yellowstonehas always been synonymous with star power, and Sheridan’s otherYellowstoneseries continued the trend. Sheridan followedYellowstonewith two prequels:1883and1923.
With big names like Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren joining thecast of1923as Jacob and Cara Dutton, and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill joining thecast of1883,theYellowstonefranchise solidified itself as a place for well-known actors to shine. However, the death that follows theDutton family treeand its other characters is a bedrock of eachYellowstoneshow, causing many memorable deaths over the years.Yellowstone’s big-name stars are no exceptionto the franchise’s defining element.
8Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner Plays John Dutton III In Yellowstone
Perhapsthe most memorable death in theYellowstonefranchise is Kevin Costner’s John Dutton. John Dutton is the soul of the neo-Western franchise, leading his family through the hardships of modern times while desperately trying to maintain his hold on his family’s legacy, the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. As such,John Dutton’s death inYellowstoneseason 5was a defining and memorable moment, changing the franchise forever.
Shockingly,John Dutton’s death came at the beginning ofYellowstoneseason 5, part 2, starting the events of the original show’s final season. Fans were devastated to see Kevin Costner’sYellowstoneexit. Still, it’s worth noting that Kevin Costner’sJohn Dutton was always supposed to die inYellowstoneso that his son, Kayce (Luke Grimes), could enact his plan to relinquish his family’s heirloom ranch to the ancestors of its Indigenous stewards.
7Danny Huston
Danny Huston Plays Dan Jenkins In Yellowstone
Losing Danny Huston’s flagship character at the end ofYellowstoneseason 2was bittersweet. Huston is an award-winning actor, perhaps best known for his role in Martin Scorsese’s Leonardo DiCaprio-ledThe Aviator,Alfonso Cuarón’sChildren of Men,and Alejandro Inarritu’s21 Grams.Huston plays Dan Jenkins in the flagshipYellowstoneseries, an antagonistic but relatively harmless man who wants to build a luxury development complex next to the Yellowstone Ranch.
Dan dies at the end ofYellowstoneseason 2, his death the result of a targeted attack by Malcolm (Neal McDonough) and Teal Beck (Terry Serpico), two entrepreneurs in the area who didn’t want to see Dan Jenkins and Thomas Rainwater’s (Gil Birmingham) combined hotel and casino built at the gateway of the Yellowstone National Park. Still, while Dan Jenkins had been John’s adversary, he was the lesser of evils in the end, and they had teamed up to defeat the brothers before they came for Jenkins.
6Neal McDonough
Neal McDonough Plays Malcolm Beck In Yellowstone
Neal McDonough plays Malcolm Beck, half of the Beck brothers pair who target John Dutton and Dan Jenkins due to their connections to Thomas Rainwater’s casino. Before he was Malcolm Beck,Neal McDonough’s best moves and TV showsincluded his role in Steven Spielberg’sMinority Reportwith Tom Cruise, the miniseriesBand of Brothers,and NBC’sBoomtown.McDonough’s character dies inYellowstoneseason 2’s finale, memorably killed by John Dutton.
Neal McDonough also plays antagonist Cal Thresher in Taylor Sheridan’s mafia drama for Paramount+ with Sylvester Stallone,Tulsa King.
John kills Malcolm Beck after he has a group of people kidnap his grandson, Tate (Brecken Merrill). We have little empathy for Beck’s character when he passes, especially after he killed an entire section of John’s cattle herd and traumatized John’s grandson. Still,John Dutton memorably leaves Malcolm Beck to die in peace, contrasting his brother’s death; Kayce Dutton shoots Teal Beck as he sits on the toilet.
5Josh Holloway
Josh Holloway Plays Roarke Morris In Yellowstone
Josh Holloway is doubtlessly best known for playing Sawyer in ABC’sLostfrom 2004 to 2010. He also has recognizable roles in action flicks likeMission: Impossible - Ghost Protocolwith Tom Cruise andSabotagewith Arnold Schwarzenegger.Holloway plays Roarke Morris inYellowstone,another antagonist who came after theYellowstone Dutton Ranchand memorably sparred with Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) as a Market Equities stockholder.
Roarke also owned the nearby Cross Creek Ranch, where he was known to fish in the river. However, Rip Wheeler retaliated after Roarke hired Wade Morrow (Boots Sutherland) to cause trouble for theYellowstone Ranch cowboys. Wheeler found Holloway’s character on the river and, after getting close to Morris,Rip killed Roarke by tossing an agitated rattlesnake at him, the venom causing the Market Equities shareholder to die quickly.
4Sam Elliott
Sam Elliott Plays Shea Brennan In 1883
Sam Elliott, the star of Western classics likeTombstoneand the made-for-TV seriesConagher,had one of the most memorable deaths at theend of1883,Taylor Sheridan’s firstYellowstoneprequel.Elliott plays Shea Brennan in1883’s story, a Union veteran and Oregon Trail wagon train leader who teams up with James Dutton (Tim McGraw) on a journey west. The expedition along the trail is Shea’s last.
At the end of1883,Shea Brennan shot himself on the shore of the Pacific Ocean in Oregon. He wanted to look at the ocean again, believing he could share the moment with his wife, whose death we learn about in one of1883’s opening scenes. While Shea’s is doubtlessly one ofYellowstone’s saddest deaths, the conclusion made sense for the character and the story, fitting the grim themes of the post-Civil War offshoot.
3Timothy Dalton
Timothy Dalton Plays Donald Whitfield In 1923
Perhaps best known for appearing as James Bond inThe Living DaylightsandLicense to Kill,Timothy Dalton plays Donald Whitfield in1923.While Banner Creighton (Jerome Flynn) starts the war against the 1920s Dutton family, Whitfield is the primary antagonist working against the clan, especially in1923season 2. He joins forces with Banner in1923season 1, episode 4, agreeing to fund the sheepherder’s war.
Dalton’s character dies in1923season 2’s finale, with Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) shooting him in his dining room for waging a war on his family, leading to his wife’s death.Whitfield is doubtlessly one ofYellowstone’s fiercest villains, and Dalton plays the role brilliantly. While his character was controversial,1923surely wouldn’t have been the same without Dalton’s role, including Whitfield’s memorable death.
2Wes Bentley
Wes Bentley Plays Jamie Dutton In Yellowstone
Wes Bentley has memorable roles in iconic films, such as playing Ricky Fitts inAmerican Beauty,Seneca Crane inThe Hunger Games,and Doyle inInterstellar.Still,Bentley has also become synonymous withYellowstone,playing John’s adopted son, Jamie Dutton. While Jamie starts as a somewhat neutral character inYellowstone’s premiere, he quickly becomes one of the franchise’s most subtle yet dangerous villains.
After teaming up with Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri) inYellowstoneseason 5, Jamie is somewhat responsible for his father’s death, having spoken with Atwood about going after his family. While Jamie didn’t know that Sarah would hire a team of skilled operatives to murder his father in his sleep, Beth knows that Jamie is guilty and vows to kill him for whatever his role may be. InYellowstoneseason 5’s finale,Beth follows through on her promise, stabbing Jamie with a knifein his home.
1Faith Hill & Tim McGraw
Faith Hill & Tim McGraw Play Margaret & James Dutton In 1883
Faith Hill and Tim McGraw are two of the greatest country musiciansof modern times. Taylor Sheridan cast the country superstars in his earliestYellowstoneprequel,1883,which they spearheaded as theYellowstonepower coupleJames and Margaret Dutton. In the saga, the couple journeys on the Oregon Trail with their children, Elsa (Isabel May) and John (Audie Rick), risking everything for a better life.
Elsa Dutton tells us that after her father’s death, her uncle found her mother frozen in a snow drift.
While James and Margaret ultimately survive1883,establishing the Dutton Ranch in Paradise Valley with Spotted Eagle’s (Graham Greene) blessing, they die within the franchise. We learn that James Dutton dies in a shootout with bandits in aYellowstoneflashback. Then, in1923season 1, episode 1, Elsa Dutton tells us that after her father’s death, her uncle found her mother frozen in a snow drift, making for a pair of gruesome deaths for the country music star’s characters, fitting the time andYellowstone’s core themes.
